Developing evidence-based nursing innovations for preventing and managing oral mucositis in patients receiving chemotherapy

Abstract

         Oral mucositis is an important and common complication in patients receiving chemotherapy. It may occur immediately or several weeks after chemotherapy, causing pain and suffering to patients. Pain reliever may be required for severe cases.  Some cases have malnutrition and oral infections. This article aimed to propose the innovations to prevent and manage oral mucositis in patients receiving chemotherapy using the integrated Orem’s self-care concept and Flemming and Fenton’s evidence-based practice, leading to five-step implementations, namely 1) questioning from problem situations, 2) searching for empirical evidence, 3) evaluating the quality of empirical evidence; 4) deciding and implementing, and 5) continuous monitoring the performance. The developed nursing innovations consisted of 1) oral mucositis prevention and management plan along with oral intake of honey and cooling, 2) instructional files, 3) self-care manuals for the patients, and 4) oral mucositis assessment wheel.